Computers have become highly integrated in the workforce, in the home, in mobile devices, and many other places. Computers can process massive amounts of information quickly and efficiently. Software applications designed to run on computer systems allow users to perform a wide variety of functions including business applications, schoolwork, entertainment and more. Software applications are often designed to perform specific tasks, such as word processor applications for drafting documents, or email programs for sending, receiving and organizing email.
The data produced by these applications is often very valuable and, hence, is typically backed up in some form. Data backup applications may come in many different forms. Some backup applications back the data up locally on a tape drive or other media. Other backup applications back the data up in remote locations, including on the cloud. In addition to regular data backups, businesses may have disaster protection plans in place which are enacted in the case of an emergency. These data recovery plans, however, typically use a great deal of network bandwidth, as implementation of these plans tends to be all or nothing.